Chanel's Cuir de Russie

Hi,
Anyone ever use or try Chanel's Cuir de Russie, the toilette or the perfume? If so, does the toilette have decent sillage and lasting power, also is the perfume too floral for a guy? I'm primarly interested in the leather note.

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

This is my favorite CdR, and I've tried a few by this name. Creed's is a bit porky, while Piver's is astringent; but Chanel has a good balance of floral to non-floral notes and wears fine for males or females. Yes, nice leather, and the EdT is fine, although the perfume divine.

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

Chanel's Cuir de Russie is eternally locked in struggle with Caron's Tabac Blond for the title of greatest leather scent of all time. This is really sexy in a stern mistress sort of way. Chanel's Cuir de Russie is also reportedly Mick Jagger's signature fragrance. The eau de toilette, like all of the classic 1920s Chanels, has very short longevity, and it's a bitter, shriekingly hard scent (in the very best way). The parfum is sexy beyond belief.

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

Originally Posted by docluv45

while Piver's is astringent;

I'm not sure what you mean by astringent - but I don't think it's meant to be good. I must admit to not being overly fond of L.T.Piver's Cuir De Russe just after application, but it does settle down to quite an interesting and mellow honey and leather scent for the rest of the day.
Renato

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

Tried this for the 2nd time today (leaving the gym) and I swear I sprayed 15 times and it still DISAPPEARED in about an hour on me - horrible longevity. It now (about 2 hours later) smells like perhaps the soap I used had the CDR scent on it, not that I sprayed the cologne on myself. Unbelievable.

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

I have a 3.6 spray EdT from the mid-90's, from when I worked for Chanel Paris and it is beautiful. Jacques Polge really screwed this one up. I wouldn't mind trading it out, as I am 1/2 way through the bottle, and it is so concentrated that it took over a decade to get that far! It is the ultimate leather and I think it is as good, if not better than Tabac Blond.

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

Originally Posted by Ruggles

I have a 3.6 spray EdT from the mid-90's, from when I worked for Chanel Paris and it is beautiful. Jacques Polge really screwed this one up. I wouldn't mind trading it out, as I am 1/2 way through the bottle, and it is so concentrated that it took over a decade to get that far! It is the ultimate leather and I think it is as good, if not better than Tabac Blond.

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

I have both the CdR (EDT only) and Tabac Blond (EDT and parfum). I did a side by side comparison a couple of weeks ago. I foundd that CdR somewhat more refined, more dressy and what I would describe as very "classic chanel". The Tabac Blond is more casual, slightly less feminine, if you will -- it has the strong tobacco note which gives it an edge. Both are smooth leathers, both are classics and very wearable in their own right.

Sniffed the Tabac Blond EDT on a couple of men. For one it really worked! For the other, I prefer him other scents, it wasn't his style and it was a bit girly. Smelled way different on them than on me. Haven't yet sniffed CdR on a guy yet.

Both EDTs last about the same on me, about 6 hours, perhaps the Tabac Blond has a stronger leather smell during that period. The CdR was more subtle.

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

Originally Posted by mikeperez23

Tried this for the 2nd time today (leaving the gym) and I swear I sprayed 15 times and it still DISAPPEARED in about an hour on me - horrible longevity. It now (about 2 hours later) smells like perhaps the soap I used had the CDR scent on it, not that I sprayed the cologne on myself. Unbelievable. And THIS is one of Chanel's Les Exclusifs? Are they serious?

Exactly my own impression, I went to Chanel's twice to renew old acquaintances (not exclusive then). Nowadays it has to either be the sinfully expensive perfume edition - or nothing!
But for the price of the perfume I would rather spend a weekend in Paris!

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

Leathers have always been heroic commercial failures. Chanel Cuir de Russie was intentionally reorchestrated with less character because there's not a chance in hell that today's general public would buy it otherwise (the same is true for 90% of today's reformulations). Polge works for Chanel. He produces what they tell him to produce. He's a master, and you can bet he'd be beefing things up if he had it his way.

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

Haven't the Rue Cambon parfums been discontinued since the release of the Les Exclusifs EDTs? That's what a Chanel SA told me... (I was heartbroken as my wife's two favourite perfumes in the world are Gardenia and Bois des Iles!)

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

One half of these perfumes are looking back on a fragrance history of eighty to ninety years. The other three are older than a hundred years. All of them are still being manufactured, and enjoy a high degree of popularity. The number of fragrances with a similar age is rather low, particularly when you count the masculine ones. I cannot believe that such leathers 'have always been heroic commercial failures'. I rather believe that the inherited classification of Tabac Blond and Cuir de Russie as feminine perfumes is hopelessly wrong in our century.

The once popular CdR should be restored as an EDP and relaunched for male customers. It could easily be sold at the price of the best Malle or Villoresi, I am sure. Even nowadays good leathers have their clients at least in Europe. Aigner make most of their fragrance money with modern leather scents, and Lang's Cuiron has been exceptionally popular before production was stopped.

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

I've often heard that leather based fragrances are notorious under-performers commercially. When I sampled the new Tom Ford's last week, the SA claimed that Tuscan Leather has been the least popular so far.
PS: My favorite leather of all time is the Diptyque candle Cuir. A beautiful, soapy leather.

Last edited by Kevin Guyer; 22nd April 2007 at 04:10 PM.
Reason: capriciousness!

Re: Chanel's Cuir de Russie

Originally Posted by mikeperez23

I got absolutely NO leather from Cuir de Russie. None.

Nice scent, but as I said before, seriously annoying low longevity.

I havent tried the parfum, but from the EDT ( I dont know if its the reformulated version or not) I get a very light leather note with a heavy dose of florals. It smells good but I dont care what the historians or Luca Turin say, its not in my top 5 leather fragrances. Its not even half as animalic or leathery as Creed Cuir De Russie (the only other russian leather I know). Maybe the parfum is more impressive.